Westfield Academy

Westfield Academy is an inclusive mixed 11-18 secondary school with a sixth form, inspected in November 2024 in its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. The school is the single member of Westfield Academy Trust. Inspectors found secure provision across the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision, with safeguarding judged effective. Leaders were seen as determined and reflective, continuing to improve the school since the previous inspection and putting pupils at the centre of their work. The school's main strengths lie in its ambitious and well-designed curriculum, which gives pupils access to a strong mix of academic and vocational qualifications and a high level of English Baccalaureate entry. Teaching generally uses the school's Westfield Way approach effectively, with You do tasks helping pupils practise and remember learning. Pupils with SEND are well supported and fully included, careers advice is highly effective, and the sixth form, including the football academy, helps students aim high. Pupils also benefit from wide trips and experiences, external speakers, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, sports clubs, a student council and strong emotional and wellbeing support. Inspectors identified a small number of areas for improvement. Some teachers do not check pupils' understanding consistently well and sometimes move on too quickly, so gaps are not always spotted promptly. A new phonics and reading support programme has only just started, so its impact is not yet known, and a minority of staff apply the school's behaviour systems inconsistently, meaning some pupils do not always behave as well as they should. Overall, this is a strong and improving school with clear, targeted work still to do.

Strengths

• Inclusive school with strong support helping pupils believe, strive and achieve
• Ambitious, well-designed curriculum with high English Baccalaureate access
• Well-considered mix of academic and vocational subjects across the school and sixth form
• Logical subject sequencing helps pupils build learning and progress well
• Effective use of the Westfield Way teaching approach and You do tasks
• Accurate SEND information used well to adapt lessons and include pupils
• High-quality careers advice and football academy support ambitious destinations
• Wide trips, external speakers, Duke of Edinburgh's Award and extra-curricular activities
• Most pupils behave respectfully and clear routines support positive attitudes
• Student council works with staff to improve school life and celebrate diversity
• High-quality emotional and wellbeing support; pupils trust adults
• Improving PSHE curriculum relevant to pupils and local issues
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Determined leaders continue to improve the school with staff and trustee support

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not check pupils' understanding effectively and move on too quickly, leaving gaps unaddressed
• The new phonics and reading support programme is too early to show impact, and some readers still need extra support
• A minority of staff apply behaviour systems and routines inconsistently and unfairly

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Westfield Academy attended 89.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 31.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 4.6% of pupils at Westfield Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Westfield Academy had 16.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 9.8% of pupils at Westfield Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Westfield Academy received £8,039 and spent £8,117 for each of its 1,335 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,622,000 (£1,215 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Watford · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Westfield Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Westfield Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Westfield Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Westfield Academy was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Westfield Academy have?

Westfield Academy has 1,331 pupils on roll.

What age range does Westfield Academy cover?

Westfield Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Westfield Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.5, and 47% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Westfield Academy?

Westfield Academy is at Tolpits Lane, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18 6NS.